Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

State Department Announces New Security Precautions for Embassy in Baghdad; ISIS Militants Continue Advnance Towards Baghdad; New & Disturbing Images Posted Online by ISIS

Aired June 15, 2014 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Welcome, I'm Michael Holmes.

I want to welcome viewers right around the world this hour as we talk about Iraq and the battle for who controls it. A vicious militant group fighting its way towards Baghdad, ever closer. And today, new and disturbing images posted online apparently by those ISIS militants and appearing to show captured Iraqi troops being corralled in trucks and then marched to their own executions.

CNN not able to independently authenticate the images. But the buildings, the signage, the uniforms all worn by the victims do seem to indicate the photos taken in Iraq.

Now, these militants are moving closer to the capital hour by hour. Iraqi troops far from united. Those fighting do so with the country's future on the line. And the U.S. waiting on the sidelines but for how long?

Well, in just the last hour, the State Department announced new security precautions for staffers at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Extra security personnel being sent to protect the embassy. Some embassy staffers are going to be relocated out of Baghdad to what are considered safer areas of the country. But most people are staying put, we're told. It is the largest U.S. embassy in the world. Purpose built, it took years to build. Several thousand employees work there. Why the new precautions? We'll discuss that.

ISIS militants continue their likely advance towards Baghdad. It is a campaign that, of course, started just a few days ago. Already reaching tantalizing close to the capital.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad and our foreign affairs reporter Elise Labott is in Washington.

Nic, let's start with you. First of all, these militants, again, apparently in Baquba? Is that right? I mean, we are talking about a short drive from Baghdad.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Forty five- minute drive from Baghdad, Michael. Iraqi army forces were told to evacuate the big base in Baquba on Saturday. They were told to take their weapons with them. They did that. Within an hour, we're told, that ISIS fighters had entered the base.

This is very strategically important for them, bringing them closer to Baghdad. We have also learned as well that ISIS taken another town in the north of the country not far from Mosul, it meant like a mopping up operation to keep the momentum going southwards. They raced past the town to of (INAUDIBLE) get to Mosul and then southwards, Telafar (ph) apparently put up some resistance, the army base there. But now ISIS is in control of that city.

So yes, ISIS is still on the advance. And what's interesting about this is Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister drew a line in the sand in Samara (ph) and said the ISIS won't get any further south than this. Well guess what, they just went around Samara and took a town, an hour's drive south of there, Michael.

HOLMES: And really, as you said, they can took a bit of a detour around there and left it alone. And that, of course, is the place of serious religious significance with the shrine there in Samara.

Nic, what are the preparations being made to stop that advance?

ROBERTSON: You know, people are talking about a collapse of command and control of Iraq's army. It doesn't appear to be a collapse of command and control but there certainly seems to be a collapse in confidence, if you will. What we are seeing around Baghdad is an increase in security. And we're being told as well that the faces at the check points are changing. What we're being told is that the check points are being beefed up or augmented with troops and security forces that are believed to be more loyal to the government here.

So, that's the sort of reaction that's happening. People are worried. They're not panicking. There's a certain amount of people going out and buying extra provisions and extra cooking gas, these sorts of things in preparation. But ISIS have said that they'll make the international airport their target in all of this, as well as encircling Baghdad. So, the concern here grows because realistically the government hasn't been able to stop them. Of course, Diyala province where they are just north of Baghdad, they're getting bogged down. A mix there of Sunni/Shi'a through these towns. So they don't have a sort of full Sunni support, if you will, at their backs. That's to be expected.

But the images we were talking about, you were talking about a few minutes ago, about these -- about the executions, that for sure is going to fan the sectarian hatred that's going on right now, particularly among Shi'as who are going to look at that and say we told you this is what they're doing. It's going to enflame the situation for sure, Michael.

HOLMES: Indeed. And we are going to discuss that a little later as well.

Nic, do stick around.

Elise Labott, you know, the Baghdad, the embassy in Baghdad has got to be the most fortified, most secure building in the entire country but concerned there?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, Michael, I don't think they're real concerns that they can't hold the embassy. There's a lot of contractors and diplomatic security personnel, and as we saw the State Department said they're adding additional U.S. government personnel. We're told that it's going to be mostly additional marines. There are about 100 marines there now and they will be beefing that up.

What this move does is it eases the burden on the embassy. We've talked about the thousands of employee that is are there right now. The embassy has a lot of food, a lot of water to hunker down and ride this crisis out. But officials tell me if they can move some of those employees out to Erbil in the north, to Basra in the south, across to Amman in Jordan where they have a very big Iraq, they called a support office, this will ease some of the burden on the staff in Baghdad if they need to, you know, ride this out for a while.

Additionally, if things take a turn for the worse and there has to be a full evacuation, this will also ease the burden of having to evacuate so many people at once.

On the flip side of that, Michael, these people are nearby, they can be brought back to Baghdad if this crisis is over quickly.

HOLMES: All right. Thanks so much, Elise Labott there, also Nic Robertson.

Now, earlier I discussed this increasingly grave situation with Ayad Allawi. Now, he was Iraq's first prime minister, first head of state after the fall of Saddam Hussein. And actually won more seats than Nouri al-Maliki in the 2010 election only to be out-maneuvered in forming a coalition. We'll have more of this conversation later in the program.

But one thing to show you is his answer to a question about whether U.S. intervention of any type was a good idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, the U.S. is being asked to help out militarily, perhaps from the air. A, do you think that would help or is that too risky? And, b, what do you say to Americans who say, why should we help out with our military when Iraq's military has been running away?

AYAD ALLAWI, FORMER IRAQ PRIME MINISTER: I don't think the U.S. should intervene militarily speaking. I think this will complicate issues. I definitely would want to see an understanding by the United States that leads to prevent other countries to intervening in Iraq in a negative way. I would like to see the expertise to be provided to the Iraqi -- sorry -- to the Iraqi -- what is left of the Iraqi army and the Iraqi -- but actively for the United States to be engaged in bombings, I think this is not right. I think it will spill over to a neighboring country. I think it will be rejected by the society. I don't think this is right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Ayad Allawi there expressing a lot of nervousness down the prospect of the U.S. involvement even from the air. We are going to spend a lot of time this hour dissecting what is going on in Iraq? What might happen? How Iran got into this predicament? And what's next?

I'm joined by a panel of CNN reporters and regional experts. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson who has already being with us. Michael Weiss, a writer for "Politico," now, Lebanon and foreign policy magazines. Adam Banotai, a U.S. marine who saw combat in Fallujah, Iraq. That is an empire colon. It is so crucial to this whole story. And major General James Williams, a retired U.S. marine commander who also has some valuable insight when we discuss when's going on there.

Thanks to you all for being with us.

Major General Williams, let's talk a little bit about what you did back there was (INAUDIBLE) with Sunni tribal leaders, to have that turnaround with a turn on al Qaeda, that created a major shift in how the insurgency went on. Do you think that those Sunni tribes men are in the mood to be turned around again?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES WILLIAMS, (RET.) U.S. MARINE COMMANDER: Well, I think that's really a good question, Michael. Of course, at the time I was out there, Nic Robertson was out there, in fact, it was in a couple meetings with me and good to see Nic again.

You know, the challenge I think we have right now is really to find what the issues are and you've talked to the former prime minister. We have had discussions with Ambassador Crocker today. And when you look at the challenges, this sectarian battle in my mind has always been about the economics of it.

And so, essentially, the Iraqi government has essentially disenfranchised the Sunnis and their only way to deal with this is to fight back. They're not sharing oil revenues. There's problems in participation in the government. So, ultimately, in a sectarian war, and a fight like this that's going on, I think this is a backlash to what the Shi'a government has not done to help them. So subsequently, this is their way to push back.

HOLMES: Yes. Absolutely. Couldn't agree more.

Adam Banotai, you fought in Iraq and in particular in Fallujah in Anbar province where was eventually turned around with the helped of those Sunni tribes men who at the moment now assisting ISIS or allowing them to carry forward. What do you think when you look at it now?

ADAM BONATAI, FORMER SERGEANT U.S. MARINE CORPS IN FALLUJAH: I think things have fallen a long way from where they were at the end of the operation in 2004 and early 2005. I think the Iraqi security forces that we operated with in Fallujah did an excellent job taking charge of what they considered to be their fight. That has -- that tide has seemed to have turned, whether it's a fear of the ISIS individuals or the al Qaeda in Iraq or maybe an overreliance on hopefully more U.S. intervention. But I think ultimately, if this is going to be a success, this model of democracy in Iraq, the Iraqi military's going to have to be the ones to step back up and take back control of their own fight.

HOLMES: Yes. And that's not looking so good at the moment. I want to talk more about that with you later.

But, Michael Weiss, I want to get you in on the conversation. You covered this story extensively. I read one of your articles in "Politico," one of the issues being discussed in that was the potential for petitioning of Iraq.

Do you really think that that is realistic to start with or desirable? Do you see the borders in the region being at risk in the moment? Those post World War I invented borders.

MICHAEL WEISS, CONTRIBUTOR, POLITICO MAGAZINE: Yes. Well, I think actually, it is important to understand that his conflict now is no longer just about It is not just about the state of Iraq. It encompasses Syria. Keep in mind ISIS' campaigns both in Syria and in Iraq, much of them were planned in the city of Raka (ph), which is the only provincial capital in Syria out of the command of Assad regime.

There ISIS training camps throughout that province. They made extensive gains in eastern Syria. This is at the area known as the Jazera, encompassing eastern and northwest eastern Syria, northwestern and central Iraq.

By the way, this may look like a lightning strike and something that's only taken place in the last week or so, this stunning path cleared by ISIS into Mosul and beyond. But it actually goes back quite a long time.

In January, ISIS came into Anbar province, more or less sacking Fallujah or parts of it, contesting Ramadi, the capital of that province. But even before that, we are talking April 2013, they said -- they announced a campaign known as soldiers harvest. The end goal of that campaign was the taking of Mosul and then (INAUDIBLE) province in particular.

So I mean, this is something that's been long in the works. And now, I would argue the real issue isn't just ISIS, is the forces that have been unleashed by ISIS incursion. So looking at what the curds in the north of Iraq have done this week.

The first order of business, go to Kirkuk. A city known to the curds as they are Jerusalem and essentially kick out the remaining ISF, Iraqi security force fighters, fortify that city from any kind of ISIS incursion. And essentially with big smiles on the faces declare, look, this is probably the future capital of an independent state of Kurdistan.

If you go to the south and you look at what the Iranian back-- Shi'a militias are doing, particularly now with the help of Iraqi clerics such as Ayatollah Sustani who issue a huge call for recruiting Shi'a fighters. They're looking to fortify the Shi'a majority areas in the country under the banner of protecting the holy shrines as you mentioned earlier.

What I'm seeing here is a defector partitioning taking place right now. We don't really have a term for what's happening. Is this a civil war? Is this the Balkanization or is this is just an ungodly mess? I think it's all of the above, actually.

HOLMES: You write a bunch of things there. But I want to continue discussing with you all. We are going to take a short break and I remember I was in Iraq in January this year when exactly that happened. And we saw those -- the ISIS fighters come into Fallujah and Ramadi and they (INAUDIBLE) and it all happened yet again because of the actions of Nouri al Maliki and his military and breaking up protest camps there in a very violent manner.

Plenty to talk about. Stick around all of you. You are going to talk this over, too. We are going to hear more from Ayad Allawi next, what he thinks is throwing, in his words, oil on the fire in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The situation in Iraq growing more serious by the moment as we're all seeing. ISIS militants making their march across northern Iraq into the more southern or central areas of the country. Now, I spoke earlier with the former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Doctor Allawi, thanks very much for your time. You were the country's first head of state after the fall of Saddam Hussein and won the 2010 election before being out-maneuvered. Is time up for Nouri al-Maliki? Can a coalition, if you like, in parliament get rid of him?

ALLAWI: I hope so because he have had two terms now and he failed to deliver security. He failed to deliver the services. Corruption is thriving in the country. Economic -- economy is stagnant. And I think it's time for him to leave. I think what has been happening over the last few days is very alarming and very dangerous for the country.

HOLMES: Yes. He's failed on all those levels but he's failed most of all in that within 24 hours of the U.S. leaving Iraqi soil he started getting rid of the opposition and then went on to completely isolate Sunnis and persecute them by many accounts. Now, what can be done about that? Is it too late to bring Sunnis back into the political fold?

ALLAWI: I think there was an opportunity which was missed, really, in 2010 when as soon as Qatar formed with other Shi'as the Iraqi bloc and picked up Shi'a leader to lead them and attended that they were the winners and the elections of 2010. But unfortunately, the attitude of the United States and the issue of Iran was rejecting the winner to form the government. HOLMES: Do you see a proxy war going on at the moment? The Iranians

on the other. The Saudis on the other who have been arming opposition forces in Syria, some of those who are you in your country. Do you see Iraq as being used as a pawn in a broader dispute that's long standing dispute between the Saudis and the Iranians?

ALLAWI: Well, to be very honest, I can't see an involvement. I don't have any evidence of the involvement in Iraq. But definitely I see Iranian involvement in Iraq. And unfortunately Iran is becoming the major player in the country by dictating not only the various policies on security, but also, on macro level where we can see Iranian intervention and not keeping this -- it's an open secret, really, what Iran is trying to do.

HOLMES: You have mentioned a lot of things that can be done to, and you say, pour oil on the fires. But one has got to wonder, just with the sectarian tensions at such a state now, whether it's too late. Do you fear as a lot of people do that it would not take much for the sectarian fighting that we saw, the bodies in the street that we all saw back in 2006, 2007, wouldn't take much for that to erupt in Baghdad, would it? Is that your biggest fear?

ALLAWI: Well, you know, my friend, I tell you something. Now, it is more dangerous than before. Now, with what's happening in Syria, what's happening in Yemen, what's happening in the rest, the Palestinian issue, on the role of Hamas and what Hamas is doing, and the stalling of the peace process, this is really all what's caused a big splash and the Iraq and indeed in the region. And this will definitely -- would not be restricted to the boundaries of these countries. It will spill over to Europe and the terrorism could spread to the world at large.

HOLMES: Because things have been moving so quickly, what do you see happening in the next week or so?

ALLAWI: Well, I see that there will be lots of clashes and there's now mobilization and especially majority ask people to be mobilized and now the government is not controlling this. It's getting out of the control of the government and the government really is benefiting from this to show themselves as the pioneers of fighting ISIS and extremism which is not true. The creation of ISIS really and strength of ISIS all grew from what was happening in the last 12 years in Iraq, last 11 years.

HOLMES: I thank you for your time, Dr. Allawi. Appreciate it.

ALLAWI: Thank you, my friend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A crisis growing for a decade, now exploding in Iraq. We're going to talk to our experts about what they make of the Ayad Allawi interview. And there is plenty of other issues to talk about too. Does the government need to kick out the prime minister? Could things get much worse before they get better?

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, we just heard from Iraq's first leader after the fall of Saddam Hussein, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi saying the U.S. military should not intervene in Iraq. But Allawi says Iraq is on the brink of disintegration and its potential glass could trigger a ripple effect across the Middle East.

This, of course, coming as terrifying and graphic images are emerging. You may want to let children leave the room for this segment. I can tell you. The ISIS militant group releasing some still photographs today that reportedly shows mass executions of Iraqi security forces.

These photographs that show dozens of men, you see them there lying down in a shallow ditch. Gunmen, where you can see what's about to happen there. We can't independently confirm the photo's authenticity. The Iraqi military though, we do know, is in tatters as ISIS militants snatch up territory, more and more every day, 45 minute drive from Baghdad at the moment.

Our panel is back with us.

Former Sergeant Adam Banotai, I want to ask you. Do you agree with Ayad Allawi's message that the U.S. should stay out of this?

BANOTAI: I absolutely do agree. Mainly because of the way the American withdrawal from Iraq occurred. It was -- I don't think it was done due to military victory. I don't think it was due to a mission accomplishment on the ground. I think there is much more political motivation into it. And I fear that if we were to go back in to Iraq, we would go back in almost with one arm tied behind our back and that just isn't going to cut this type of graphic situation. We will need to send in large-scale forces to complete this job.

I don't think air strikes would work. I think that could present a bigger problem with potential collateral damage. So I think at this points, it should be onus should be on the Iraqi people, the Iraqi military.

HOLMES: It was ironic, Adam, that the Iraqi prime minister who really is seen as being at the root cause of a lot of this was shoving the U.S. out the door, made it his election platform to get the U.S. out and not have them stay unless they were subject to Iraqi law which was never going to fly. Did you have confidence in the Iraqis' military's ability to maintain security? I went on a lot of missions, Iraqi training missions with U.S. doing the best to train these guys and while some were good and stood up, others were not.

BANOTAI: Absolutely. I, 100 percent agree with your assessment there about some were very, very good and I was very fortunate. The ones I worked with were amongst that group and some were terrible for lack of a better word.

And Prime Minister Allawi mentioned he would like to see, perhaps, U.S. expertise brought back in to help train the individuals, aid them in the campaign against is. The problem with that being, though, is that they need to be willing to accept that training and put themselves in harm's way once having that training and that's where I see a major problem.

HOLMES: Another problem is sectarian -- will the Sunnis and the military fight other Sunnis.

I want to move on to major general James Williams. You know, one thing I try to keep coming back to is that these tribes that are helping is or not stopping them, put it that way and some are joining with them, they don't like is, they don't like being told what to do historically. They don't like the type of government that ISIS and the jihadist militants bring with them, but they feel so bad about how they've been treated by the government that this is sort of their enemy's men my is my friend.

How do you -- and you had this sort of rare opportunity to talk with them and engage with them back in the mid-2000s and made a difference. How would you do that now today since they're so disenfranchised?

WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I think, Michael, you have to set up the parameters to allow that to occur. What we did back during that time in the mid-2000s was basically set up meetings with various imams, various tribal leaders and had engagements with the insurgents. And ultimately, what it came down is nobody had ever asked them what they wanted, to begin with. And then what we started doing was unraveling what they wanted. And so, essentially, that led to the Sunni awakening.

But you have to remember one thing. And I think all of your listeners need to realize that there are more Sunni Islam in the world than there are Shi'a. And when the Shi'a took over Iraq, it was the first country since about 1170 that a Shi'a was in control of an Arabic country.

And so, the way I look at this, this is a fight between the Islamic world and essentially the Persian world . If you look at the way ISIS is operating, you know, they've already taken over Fallujah and Ramadi so they came down the Euphrates River. Now, they are coming down the Tigers Rivers from Mosul to Baghdad. So essentially, you are right. I think they are segmenting this country so that it will be basically free factions. And then, essentially the Sunnis and the Arabic world, if you will, wants to have control of what they see as theirs.

HOLMES: Yes. The Caliphates thing.

Gentlemen, do stick around. Michael, I want particularly want to get to you when we come back and talk about that. The break down in borders, proxy wars and more to talk about.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of what is unfolding in Iraq and what it means. I want to bring Michael Weiss back in again and also, then we are

going to talk to a freelance journalist, (INAUDIBLE) who is in Iraq.

But Michael, I want to get to you first because we touched on this before the break. Is it too early or too pessimistic to talk about the potential for regional conflagration here? You got, as you pointed out, we have Syria and you got Iraq. You also, though, key, you have unrest in places like Bahrain and parts of Saudi Arabia. Jordan, the government there facing incredible difficulties. Lebanon, for sure. Is it too early to see the whole post-World War I map disintegrate?

WEISS: I don't think it is. I think something that general Williams hit upon in the last segment was crucial here. Sunnis in Syria for three years have had scud missiles, barrel bombs and saran gas on their head and it watched and begged the United States to intervene on their behalf. Sunnis, of course, the majority is Syria.

What is now happening and let's be quite clear, that the Maliki government I think very much a client of not just the Iranian regime but the revolutionary guard corps of Iran. There's a man called (INAUDIBLE), probably the cleverest, most mock rebellion (ph) character in the modern Middle East. He is now in Baghdad, I'm told, overseeing the entire government security apparatus suite to try and, you know, withstand this ISIS.

So what you have is Iran inviting the United States effectively to provide air cover for the revolutionary guard corps. If the U.S. were to intervene in Iraq in this manner and surgical air strikes on ISIS, I think, and maybe this is too pessimistic and too dire, but I think this would be a huge recruitment rallying cry for ISIS because Sunnis will then think the United States frankly doesn't give a damn about them. And as the general pointed out early they constitute the majority of Muslims in, not just in the Middle East, but in the world.

So I think, yes, this is not just a regional problem. I think this is actually an internal civilizational (ph) one within Islam and, indeed, between Arab countries and now essentially what is looking to be a new Persian empire. And it is absolutely going to spiral out of control. It's spilt over from Syria into Iraq already.

HOLMES: Yes. We can also talk about the irony of the U.S. being asked to fight a foe for an Iranian-backed government and at the same time calling for the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad who happens to be fighting the same foe. I mean, your head can explode just thinking about it.

I want to bring in Zyad Mohammed who is live in Erbil. And I appreciate you talking us to. You're there. You're Iraqi. When you look at your country now and what's happening, what is your biggest fear?

ZYAD MOHAMMED, JOURNALIST: The biggest fear is civil war, definitely, Michael, because lots of Iraqis looking at the situation right now and estimating and measuring what's happening. They fear a civil war is lurking behind. ISIS is becoming stronger. It is getting outnumbered. Not so organizations and groups are joining ISIS.

On the other side, on the Shi'a side, there are lots of fighters volunteering to fight against ISIS. So, all of this is a red flag, is a biggest concern and fear for Iraqis that a civil war might erupt in the country.

HOLMES: So then what needs to happen? I mean, there are those who say get rid of Nouri al-Maliki. He's fostered the discontent that made the conditions ripe for ISIS to move in. But is that enough? I mean, is the removal of Nouri al-Maliki going to bring some sort of peace here? He's not the type of guy to give up easily. It is not in his DNA to surrender power.

MOHAMMED: MOHAMMED: Yes, indeed, Michael. The Iraqis feel that the United States have to intervene some way. Of course, not militarily, but diplomatically and politically. They feel that the United States have got them into this and it's already involved and it shouldn't abandon them. It should come back and try to help and support all of the parties together and listen and they need the United States to orchestrate so to speak peace talks among Iraqis so that bring each and every one to an understanding and find peace among them because things the way they are right now there's no possibility that they will lead to a light at the end of the tunnel.

HOLMES: It is a truly tragic situation and as always, civilians are the ones who suffer the most.

Zyad Mohammed in Iraq, we appreciate your time and good luck to you, sir.

All right. More news after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. More with Michael Homes on the crisis in Iraq coming up.

But first, some other headlines. Pakistan's military launching a major offensive against militant fighters on their border with Afghanistan. Now, they say their purpose is to finish off the militants there, quote, "once and for all." It's in the province called North Waziristan. The Pakistani government began today with air strikes targeting a meeting of militant leaders, 50 people at the meeting were reportedly killed.

Pakistan's defense minister says they're doing this alone, no American help. And he says this all out assault triggered by last weekend's deadly attack there on the airport there in Karachi, the straw that broke the camel's back he said.

Well, don't count Eric Cantor out, at least not yet. The second most powerful Republican in the house tells CNN he is not rules out another run for office after that stunning primary loss last week.

Here's what he told CNN's Dana Bash today on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION." (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Listen. I don't have any regrets, you know, because I remain focused on the mission I'm about. I'm so honored to represent the people of the 7th district of Virginia, one of the highest honors of my life and then to be privileged by my colleagues as service majority leader, huge. I mean, that such a privilege.

So again, I'm looking forward. Having, I think, felt good about the kinds of things that we have done thus far while we have been in majority and I know my colleagues will continue the mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Now, Cantor confirmed again, he'll step down as majority leader.

The iconic voice of Casey Kasem has fallen silent. Most Americans came first to know him 40 years ago when he began a long and successful top 40 radio program out of Los Angeles. Millions of children then later came to know him as the voice of shaggy in the cartoon's "Scooby Doo." Kasem died this morning in a hospital in Washington State. He has been suffering from dementia, but he died of accept this called by bed sores. Case Kasem was 82.

Now to world cup action and team USA. Twenty four hours away now from their debut game against Ghana. The U.S. lost in overtime you might remember to Ghana, in fact, in the last world cup. A short time ago, Lara Baldesarra talked to CNN's Fredericka Whitfield about team USA's big game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARA BALDESARRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the ultimate grudge match for the USA. The last two world cups, they have been -- they have lost to Ghana, the USA, that is. And in 2010, the last world cup, they were knocked out of the world cup by Ghana. So there's a lot on the line here. And a lot of those guys, they certainly want a little bit of redemption when they meet on Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Redemption, revenge, whatever you want to call it. Go, team USA.

Next hour more on what team USA is up against in Brazil.

Also, at 6:00 eastern, we are fast forwarding to the week ahead and we'll take a look at the different stories you'll be talking about and hearing about in the coming week.

I'll see you back here at the top of the hour.

More on Iraq coming up next as extra security personnel are now being sent to protect the huge U.S. embassy there in Baghdad. Michael Holmes returns right after this.

But first, an incredible story of rediscovery, a bizarre accident erased all of Su Meck's memories when she was just 22-years-old. Now, she wrote a book about her recovery, "I forgot to Remember." She also spoke with our Anderson Copper about her own long American journey.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: When you woke up, you didn't recall anything?

SU MECK, AUTHOR, I FORGOT TO REMEMBER: Correct.

COOPER: So the people in the room, your husband, your children, you couldn't --

MECK: No, I didn't recognize them for a long time, actually.

COOPER: What does that feel like? I mean, that's terrifying.

MECK: Well, it is what it is. It's not really terrifying if you don't know any different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: I'm Michael Holmes. Welcome back to our special look at the crisis in Iraq.

And I do want to mention too, the State Department announcing new security precautions for staffers at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Extra security personnel being sent in to protect the embassy. Some staffers will be sent out of Baghdad. Most will stay, it's important to point out.

At the same time, those ISIS militants pushing ever closer towards the capital. And now Baquba, that's a 45-minute ride away.

Let's bring back our panel now. Former marine sergeant Adam Banotai, "Politico" magazine contributor Michael Weiss and retired Marine Corps major general James Williams.

Adam, I want to start with you as a man who has truly been on the ground and explain something to people. When you talk about the Iraqi army cutting and running basically, we're talking about an army that is Sunni and Shi'a, but when the enemy is an enemy that, is not only not afraid of death, but embraces it.

BANOTAI: I don't think that played so much a role in them cutting and running, as you said. I think a lot of them generally had issues at home. Al Qaeda and Iraq that we were dealing with was killing family members, threatening family members, kidnapping family members and beheading family members. And I almost didn't blame them for leaving to go home and try to protect their families. HOLMES: General, what about when it comes to U.S. acting. Let's say

there were air strikes being contemplated. Explain to the uninitiated the difficulties of that when you don't have people on the ground targeting and the like.

WILLIAMS: Well, first of all, you really don't want to do air strikes unless you have somebody on the ground that can help you control and be precise in your targeting. You have to remember this is a mathematical problem, you know, you have aircraft in the air, you need to have somebody on the ground that can focus on where you want to do that. Of course, our equipment is very capable of doing things without people on the ground. But ultimately when you're talking about mixing civilian populations with militants and military combatants, you want to be able to separate them out.

HOLMES: Adam, and very briefly, too, when you look at the political landscape in Iraq and the fact that Nouri al-Maliki has concentrated power around himself and basically stepped on anyone who was a challenge to him, Sunni or otherwise, by the way, do you see in that landscape any secular alternative to the man?

BANOTAI: I do not. I really don't. And I would actually like to piggyback on what the general just said about having boots on the ground for these air strikes. Without that happening, which I'm not in favor of, of putting boots on the ground for the air strike, there's going to be, like I said earlier, a lot of collateral damage and I think that will just give ISIS a huge recruiting tool that the U.S. cause a lot of civilian casualties.

HOLMES: Michael, let me run by you this issue to Maliki, is there an alternative?

WEISS: That's a good question. I think the alternative has probably been purged from Iraq a long time ago. Several months ago you may recall 40 Sunni mps resigned from parliament. One Sunni MP's house had been raided. I think his family member were killed by the Iraqi security forces. The vice president of Iraq is in exile either in Turkey or Qatar depending on whom you speak to on very spurious charges of terrorism.

So no, Maliki, I think, he's done a very admirable job ensuring that there is no credible nationalistic opposition to his rule. And again, as I said before, this man belongs to the Iranian revolutionary guard corps. And he certainly belongs to them now. And you are going to see this in coming days in terms of how the regime pushes back against ISIS. This is going to be an Iranian proxy war waged on the soil of Iraq.

HOLMES: Exactly. Michael Weiss, thanks so much. Adam Banotai, too. And major general James Williams, you're actually going to stick around with us, hopefully you at home will as well.

More news to come right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)